Category: Wildlife

The Azores are small islands in the Atlantic ocean that are part of Portugal. It was our first visit to San Miguel (one of the islands) and we thoroughly enjoyed it. A week full of fun, peaceful nature and good food. We are certainly coming back to explore the rest of the islands.

The islands are with volcanic origins and the basalt rocks are visible everywhere. There are number of calderas turned into lakes, as well as natural hot springs activity. Due to the humid climate the islands are lush green with extensive range of shrubs, trees and flowers – very pretty sight when trekking along its numerous trails or just enjoying the views from one of its viewpoints.

We visited the island last week and managed to enjoy some of the activities on offer, including:

– Whale and dolphin watching in Ponta Delgada (The marine life is plenty, however it can be wavy and one can feel sea sick…)

– Diving – the waters are not that warm, but the diving is fun with a wetsuit

– Bathing in Termas Ferraria (natural hot spring in the open sea lagoon, as well as spa)

– Bathing in the natural thermal pools of Furnas – those are around 39 C and brown in colour, due to the mineral composition of the waters

– Tasting the famous octopus dish in Musteiros, as well as seafood and fresh fish dishes in small family run restaurants along the island

– Trekking along the trails of Sete Cedades, Nordeste, Furnas and Villa Franca

– Sipping tea from the island’s very own tea factory, where the machinery is from Calcutta, India

– Driving along the well maintained and pretty roads of the island, and discovering the magnificent views one can enjoy (provided the day is sunny, as it often gets foggy here!)

– Tasting the wonderful cheeses and liquors the Islands produce (there are more cows that people here!)

In the far east of Russia lies the land of bears and volcanoes. That is the Kamchatka peninsula situated between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west. The volcanoes of Kamchatka are UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Pantanal is the world’s largest wetland area that spreads across Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. We visited the Pantanal area of Brazil in August 2016. Sao Paolo to Cuiaba by flight and Cuiaba to Porto Joffre by safari 4×4 vehicle. In Pouso Alegre lodge we woke up to the singing and squeaking of at least ten varieties of birds. Here we also saw a giant anteater, tapir at night and lots of birds, mammals and reptiles. This post is composed of mainly photographs as they tell the story better than words…. Enjoy!